


12. "That's not fun!? That's torture!"

by T_Hurricane



Series: Voltron: Stories of Klance (Fan Fiction Library: Challenge #1) [12]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Blood, Blood Loss, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Torture, Broken Bones, Eventual Keith/Lance (Voltron), Fan Fiction Library - Challenge, Fear of Death, Fluff and Angst, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gen, Happy Ending, Healing, Hurt, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Keith (Voltron) Whump, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mild Gore, Missions Gone Wrong, Pirates, Prison, Rescue, Rescue Missions, Restraints, Sacrifice, Self-Sacrifice, Space Pirates, Torture, Whipping, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:54:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29945466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/T_Hurricane/pseuds/T_Hurricane
Summary: Keith and Lance were abducted by pirates, who leave them to choose from two options: Join their group or die.Keith sacrifices himself to protect Lance, and there are some things to be said when he feels that this time, he might not make it before the team manages to rescue them.
Relationships: Keith & Lance (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: Voltron: Stories of Klance (Fan Fiction Library: Challenge #1) [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2175054
Comments: 2
Kudos: 34
Collections: Fan Fiction Library (Discord) Challenge #1: 20 Prompts





	12. "That's not fun!? That's torture!"

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! 
> 
> For the 12th prompt of the writing challenge hosted on my Discord server, the [Fan Fiction Library](https://discord.gg/RuSjgxC68t): 
> 
> "That's not fun!? That's torture!"

„Now look at who we caught in our nets. I didn’t think we would ever catch such big fishies like we have here!“ the pirate that captured them said while he ripped hoods from their heads. 

Lance and Keith had to press their eyes close at the sudden light. 

They were currently sitting on the floor, with bound ankles and wrists, stripped of their armor and surrounded by a group of pirates that had managed to capture them on a mission. 

They were supposed to investigate sightings of a pirate group that terrorized the people of a planet that had recently joined their coalition. 

„Guess we found the pirates“ Lance groaned and brought his bound wrists up to his head to rub the spot where something had struck him down from behind. 

„You could say it like that“ Keith only replied, slowly opening his eyes and carefully eying their captors. 

„What do you want from us?“ he asked the guy that still held the two hoods in his hands. 

„Well, we heard rumors about Voltron paying us a visit. We wanted to make an ...offer“ the guy smirked before he stepped aside, revealing a shorter, but buff looking male. 

He as well as the rest of the crew were dressed in a way you would usually imagine pirates on earth, and not ones that sailed through the galaxy instead of an ocean. 

„I am Captain Scrulm, and these brave men and women here are my crew“ the man introduced himself. 

„And what do you want from us?“ Lance snorted, which led to the pirate closest to him kick him harshly against his leg. 

Lance had to bite the inside of his cheeks to not scream out in pain. 

„First lesson: You don’t interrupt the captain when he’s speaking“ the woman snapped at him. 

„Easy, Sistos. They don’t know the rules yet, but they will soon“ Scrulm said. 

„Aye captain“ Sistos replied and stepped back again. 

„You okay?“ Keith whispered to Lance. 

„Yeah, it’s fine“ he only whispered back before the captain adressed them again. 

„It’s easy - I respect your abilities, and your position. I would love to welcome you into my crew“ the captain offered. 

„Why would we join you?“ Keith asked back, not believing this offer. 

„Well, I have a few… enemies. I know I’d get rid of many of them if they heard that I have two former Paladins under my command“ Scrulm simply said. 

„We will never abandon Voltron and join your crew! What the hell are you thinking?“ Lance said then. 

„Well, I’d think about this again if I were you. You see - if you don’t want to join my crew, then you two can only serve us with one other purpose“ the man sighed. 

„And what would that be?“ Keith asked with a raised eyebrow. 

„I’d be the proud captain of the pirate crew that managed to take out two Paladins of Voltron“ he said and grinned dangerously. 

„What?“ Lance shouted out. 

„You heard me. Join me, or prepare to die after we had some fun with you“ the captain only replied. 

Then, he gave a nod and Keith and Lance were hauled up to their feet. 

They tried to fight back, but they stood no chance against six aliens wrestling them down each. 

They tried to bite and punch their way out, but after futile attempts, they found themselves hanging from their ankles, and their hands bound to the ground. 

„Let’s have some fun with you, shall we? Maybe that will… inspire you to join us“ the captain chuckled and stepped up to them. 

He was holding a whip with a split end in his hands now, and Lance and Keith felt knives dragging through their undersuits that had been the only thing left on them regarding their armor, leaving their torso bare.

„ **That’s not fun!? That’s torture!** “ Lance shouted back at him with horror in his voice.

„Eh, depends on the point of view“ the man only smirked and raised the whip. 

Lance inhaled sharply when he saw who the whip would be aimed at. 

Then, he screamed. 

He could feel how his flesh was split under what must be a dozen ends of the whip, one cutting deeper into him than the next. 

„Stop it!“ Keith screamed at the man, but he ignored him and struck down on Lance again and again and again. 

Lance didn’t have the air to plead any more. He was too busy screaming out his pain. 

His blood was rushing to his head, and he felt how the combination of that and the pain of every strike brought him closer to blacking out.

„Wait! I’ll join you, just leave him alone!“ 

„Oh? Have you finally made up your mind?“ the man smirked and looked at Keith, who had called out for him to stop. 

„Yes“ Keith said and closed his eyes. 

„I will join you if you let Lance leave. One Paladin joining you is better than having two dead ones, right?“ he said and opened his eyes again to glare at the captain. 

„Keith, no! What are you doing?“ Lance dazedly whispered, but he was ignored. 

„Get this one down“ the captain only ordered and with a dull thud, Keith fell to the ground. The restraints on his ankles had been cut through, so he was able to stand up. He felt how the pressure in his head slowly released - for how long had they been hanging upside down? 

And for how long did he let Lance suffer?

„Pledge your loyalty to me then, boy. We’ll see if I let the other one go after. We could start by letting him down, too“ he said with a vicious grin that only widened as he heard Lance’s gasp of pain. 

The Blue Paladin had landed on his torso that was now littered with deep cuts and angry red weals. 

„Fuck you“ Keith only said to the captain and then, before anyone could react, roundhouse-kicked him in his face. 

Scrulm cried out as pain exploded in his jaw and at the side of his head while he went down. 

Three pirates immediately lunged themselves at Keith and tackled him to the ground. 

„Captain! Are you alright?“ another pirate called out and crouched down near Scrulm.

„You’ll regret this“ said as soon as he had composed himself enough to talk again.

He stood up, and spat at the ground. 

A silent ‚kling’ could be heard as the spit hit the metal ground of the pirate ship - Keith had knocked a tooth out of his jaw. 

„Get him to his knees“ the captain only barked, and after the three pirates that felt him fought down his resistance, Keith found himself hauled up and pressed down to kneel on the ground. 

His hands were still bound together, and he had no way of dodging or standing up when the captain kicked him in the gut with full force. 

„I’ll make you beg for sparing your life“ he said and kicked Keith again. 

„You should have accepted my offer when you had the chance to“ he added and kicked down on Keith again, this time on his side. 

He smiled when Keith screamed, accompanied by a crack of what must have been one of his ribs breaking. 

„Keith!“ Lance tried to plead, but it was as if the whole group of pirates had forgotten about him. 

He managed to lock his gaze with Keiths, and despite the pain they both were in, Keith smiled at seeing Lance being left alone for now. 

Then, Lance’s view was blocked by other pirates moving and joining in on kicking down on Keith. 

His screams of pain and the cheer of the pirates when Keith couldn’t move anymore all warped together into one big sound of horror. 

Keith was desperately trying to curl up on the ground while taking one hit after another - to his head, his abdomen, his back and his sides. 

Lance felt more helpless than ever, not able to move himself or draw their attention off of Keith. 

Then, the captain suddenly yelled something, and the pirates moved again. 

When Lance’s gaze focused on Keith, he almost let out a sob. 

Keith was covered in blood from wounds all over his torso, the left side of his chest looked like it was dented and his left shoulder looked oddly deformed. 

The worst thing was that he didn’t respond at all - not even when he was hauled up and dragged away. 

„Keith!“ Lance desperately cried out as loud as he could. 

„Get that one into a cell with the little shit. Leave them there to rot.“ the captain ordered, not even sparing Lance another look and went to leave the room. 

Lance was soon grabbed and dumped into the same cell Keith was already laying in. 

„There ya go. You should have joined us while you had the chance“ the woman who had carried him spat. 

She then turned on her heel and slammed the door of the cell shut.

„Keith!“ Lance managed to cry out again, but he got no response. 

Keith was laying on his back, and Lance managed to sit up, every movement slow and painful. 

He then proceeded to scoot over to Keith and sit against the wall near his head. 

The wounds on his back and torso throbbed with pain, but he tried his best to ignore it. 

„Keith“ Lance whispered when he finally leaned to lift Keith’s head up onto his lap. 

It was a slow and painful process, made unnecessarily more difficult by the limited range of movement due to the restraints, but after a while, Keith’s head rested on his thigh. 

Lance was unbelievably relieved to see how Keith’s chest rose and fell with steady breaths, but they were shallow and raspy.

„Why did you do that you idiot“ Lance sobbed and let the tears he had held back all the time freely stream down his cheeks now.

„Please wake up. Wake up Keith“ Lance pleaded while cradling his head as best as he could with bound hands.

###### 

Everything was blurry. He tried to blink, but he soon realized that he barely had the energy to do so. 

When had he even closed his eyes? 

Slowly, his senses started to come back to him. His vision - with only one eye, because somehow the other refused to open - cleared a bit, and he saw dimmed strips of light and dark walls. 

His ears started to ring, and he groaned in annoyance of the persistent sound. 

That though made him wince in pain right after. His head and whole body hurt incredibly, and he only now registered how shallow his breaths were. 

Although he had no idea of what had happened and although his mind was still foggy he decided to focus on his breathing first. He slightly opened his mouth and tried to draw in a full breath, but quickly stopped his attempts when with every second and every try he became more aware of the agonizing pain that seemed to be sitting in every muscle and bone of his body. 

He groaned again, this time louder and because he had actually felt his ribs grind against each other with the last inhale. 

The floor he was laying on was cold and hard, but although he still had no idea of where he was, how he got there and why everything just hurt so much, it helped him to ground himself. 

He hesitantly tried to get his hands to move, and after a few seconds, his fingers twitched in response. 

Where the hell was he?   
And why wouldn’t the ringing in his ears stop?

Somehow his head way laying on a soft surface, and after focusing on that feeling for a while, he realized why - someone was cradling his head on their lap.

He hesitantly looked up. 

Keith knew that figure. He knew that person. 

Lance was desperately talking to him, probably saying his name, but the ringing in his ears was still too loud.

With seeing his teammate, the memories of the pirates and the beating came crashing down on him. 

„Ow“ he finally managed to say and let his head roll to the side to be more comfortable. 

He could see Lance still talking to him in the corner of his vision, but the ringing was still there - although it was slowly quieting down and replaced by sounds he could only describe as white noise. 

„L-Lance… You okay?“ he managed to ask. 

He only felt Lances response rather than heard it. 

Lance snorted at hearing Keith asking him if he was fine. 

„No, because you’re hurt and I can’t do shit to help you!“ he only replied, but he instantly started to worry again when he heard no response from Keith. 

„Keith? Hey! Can you hear me?“ Lance said and very gently tapped Keith’s head with his fingers. 

Keith looked up at him then. 

Never before had Lance seen Keith look so defeated. 

„Can’t… Can’t hear“ Keith managed to croak before he had to cough. 

With the help of Lance and many yelps of pain he managed to lay on his right side, facing Lance, and breathing immediately came easier to him. 

He coughed and coughed, unable to stop even when he felt his ribs working their way into his guts with every shake of his body, but he couldn’t stop. 

Suddenly, something wet was coming up with each cough, something that tasted like copper. 

Keith knew what is was as soon as he saw Lance’s eyes widen in horror. 

He was coughing up blood. 

„Shit“ he whispered when he finally managed to stop. 

„Keith“ Lance sobbed, and at feeling his body jerk, Keith looked up at Lance. 

„Why Keith? Why?“ Lance sobbed over and over, and Keith understood what Lance was asking, although he didn’t hear him say it. 

„They… They hurt you. I c-couldn’t just let them.. do that“ he managed to say. 

„But why? Now you’re the one almost dying! I could have held out longer!“ Lance shouted back in desperation. 

„I can’t hear y', Lance. Srry’“ Keith said, angry and annoyed by the fact that he could hear nothing. 

Lance tensed at hearing how slurred Keith’s words already were. 

„Hey, it’s gonna… be ok“ Keith said after seeing Lance's expression of pain and sadness. 

„The other’s will f-find us“ he said with a shaky voice. 

„Yeah, they will“ Lance said and began to gently caress Keith’s hair. 

„You’re probly’ asking yourself why I did it, right?“ Keith said after a while of simply enjoying the gentle touch of his teammate. 

„Because you’re an idiot?“ Lance whispered, but there was no heat in his voice. 

„I c-couldn’t stand to see them hurt you. I hate it whenever you’re getting hurt“ Keith continued, not noticing that Lance even said something. 

„I.. I love you, L’nce. I didn’t know if I should tell y', but I think I’d regret not having told you before I ...die’“ Keith said and closed his eyes. 

„What?! Keith! Don’t you dare and die on me!“ Lance said, but then froze. 

Had... had Keith just told him that he loved him?

„You idiot! I love you too, you know! Please don’t die on me“ Lance sobbed with a smile and bowed down as much ad he could, pressing a gentle kiss to Keith’s temple. 

Keith tensed for a second before he smiled. 

„Should’ve told u sooner, huh?“ he said in a sad tone. 

Tears were now streaming down his cheeks and over his nose, but he managed to look back up at Lance once more. 

„I’m srry’ L’nce. Live to get out of 'ere, ok?“ he managed to say before his vision went black again. 

Lance cried out in desperation when he saw how Keith’s eyes closed and his head lolled to the side. 

„Keith! No, please! Wake up!“ Lance cried out and carefully yet firmly shook Keith’s head in an attempt to wake him. 

But Keith didn’t react - except for strained and shallow breaths, he didn’t move at all. 

„No! Keith! Lance sobbed and bowed over Keith. 

„Don’t leave me alone, please“ he sobbed.

„Please don’t die Keith! I can’t be without you!“ he begged while his tears dropped on Keith’s face, mixing with the dries blood there and leaving trails of red when they rolled down. 

„Please“ Lance whispered, feeling how he fell into a spiral of desperation. 

He cried and sobbed until he was exhausted, but he still refused to let that exhaustion or the pain of his own wounds lure him into falling into unconsciousness himself. 

„Please. Keith“ he only whispered while he leaned his head back against the cool wall of their cell and rubbed his thumb over Keith's cheek. 

„Please wake up“ he whispered with the last of his strength, barely even audible to his own ears. 

He barely registered the door to their cell opening, and three people with white armor rushing to them 

"ne! Lance! Hey, can you hear me?" Shiro said after kneeling down near them. 

"Shiro? Shiro..." Lance said, baffled and with the briefest smile. 

"Yeah, it's me. We're gonna get you out of here" he said with a reassuring voice. 

"Just... save him" Lance managed to say and then felt how his head lolled to his side. He didn't have the strength to hold it up anymore. 

"Hey, try to stay awake! Hunk, I need your help here!" Shiro yelled, and it was the last thing Lance knew before he felt how he was scooped up by Hunk. 

Then, he finally passed out, with only one plea echoing through his mind before it shut off: 

_Save Keith. Please. Make sure he lives._

###### 

„Urrrgh, how much longer?“ Hunk nagged. 

„You now that. Any second, Hunk“ Pidge said seemingly annoyed, but also with excitement in her voice.

Lance would be out of the pod any moment now - and Keith would follow only a short time after. 

They still felt their hearts ache at remembering how they found the two in the cell. 

Lance barely conscious enough to recognize them, with high blood loss and deep cuts as well as wells all over his torso, and a cracked shinbone. 

Keith unconscious, completely beaten up and covered in bruises, with several broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder. 

They had gotten them in the very last second - Lance would have bled out if they had gotten to them any later, and Keith would have suffocated on his own blood and died from inner bleedings. 

Pidge, Hunk, Shiro, Allura and Coran were ripped from these dark thoughts by a silent hiss as Lance’s pod opened.

His skin had required a long time to heal - that’s why he had been in the pod this long. 

„Oof“ he silently groaned as soon as he fell against Hunk’s chest. 

„Hey buddy“ Hunk beamed at him, happy to see Lance breathing and most importantly, awake in his arms this time - and not unconscious and at the verge of bleeding out. 

„Hunk?“ Lance asked groggily and slowly opened his eyes. 

„Yeah, it’s me“ Hunk said and hugged Lance a bit tighter in reassurance. 

„What… happened?“ Lance asked and slowly began to stand on his own two legs, although they were still shaky. 

Hunk offered his support and Lance silently thanked him with a smile while he kept his hand on Hunk’s shoulder to steady himself. 

„You were on a mission and abducted by the pirates you were supposed to spy on, remember?“ Allura asked hesitantly. 

„What? Oh, yeah. The pirates“ Lance said and his face darkened when he remembered them. 

„They snuck up on us from behind somehow. Keith and I-“ Lance said but he suddenly froze mid sentence. 

„Lance?“ Pidge asked worriedly, but Lance only stared hat her in utter fear. 

„Keith“ he said, barely audible. 

„Keith, where is Keith? He was in a r-really bad condition… he was coughing up blood and couldn’t hear anymore and he took that beating for me and-“ Lance rambled, his breaths getting quicker and more shallow by the second. 

„Keith is alright, he is here in a pod and will be out any moment. You need to steady your breathing, lad“ Coran said gently and came up to help Lance regain control over his breathing. 

He gently turned Lance to be able to see Keith and guided him through a breathing rhythm that made sure that his breathing normalized again. 

„Keith“ Lance said after he got a few steady breaths in, and then clumsily stumbled forward to Keith’s pod. Shiro was already standing in front of it and greeted Lance with a reassuring pat to his shoulder. 

„He will be okay. You two really scared us though, you know?“ Shiro said with a sad chuckle. 

„I’m sorry“ Lance only said while a tear snuck it’s way down his cheek. 

„I… I thought he would be dead if I ever woke up“ he admitted silently and waited near Shiro for Keith to be released. 

„We.. I’m sorry that we didn’t make it to you sooner. This was just way to close“ Allura silently said and came to stand near Shiro, one hand on Lance’s other shoulder. 

„But you got us out. It’s okay“ Lance said, and he meant it. 

Then there was another hiss, and suddenly, Keith was tilting towards them. 

„Woah, easy there“ Shiro said and caught Keith right before he could smack into the floor. 

„Mhmmmm?“ Keith made a confused humming noise. 

„What…“ he slowly said, and then his body suddenly tensed. 

His eyes flew open, and his mouth was just opening as if to ask something - but then he halted in his movement, because Lance was standing near him and also looking right at him. 

„Lance“ Keith breathed out, just at the same moment where Lance mouthed Keith’s name. 

Then, Keith made a shaky step towards Lance and let himself fall into his chest, burying his face in the other’s neck and encircled him with his arms.

Their bodies shook with sobs, but they practically enjoyed the feeling - it was a feeling that reassured them that the other was alive, and here. 

„Lan-Lance“ Keith sobbed, and Lance nodded in reassurance. 

„Yeah, I’m here. The others got to us in time“ he said, and he was relieved at seeing Keith shudder. 

„I can hear you“ Keith whispered and only hugged Lance tighter. 

He then slowly looked up to Shiro and Allura, who were standing behind Lance and in his view. 

„Thank you for getting us out of there“ he said with a shaky voice and they both smiled at him. 

Soon, Lance and Keith found themselves embraced in a giant group hug, and they enjoyed every second of it. 

„You two should head to the showers and then rest up a bit more“ Hunk suggested after a while. 

„Yeah, that sounds like a good idea“ Pidge said in a joking tone and grinned at them. 

„We will. I have something to do first, though“ Keith said to everyone’s surprise. 

Then, he reached out, cupped Lance’s cheek with one hand and gently pulled him closer until their lips connected. 

Lance melted into the kiss, and they both ignored the surprised shriek of Hunk and Pidge as well as the surprised faces of Shiro, Allura and Coran. 

„Never tell me that you love me and then that you think that you’re gonna die“ Lance only said to Keith after they slowly broke apart.

„I’ll try my best“ Keith said under the glare of Lance, whose facial expression immediately softened after hearing that. 

„You better do“ Lance replied while he connected their foreheads and briefly closed his eyes. Then, he gently pecked Keith on the lips again and took his hand. 

„Uhm… Congrats? I think? …What just happened?“ Hunk the blurted out. 

„You finally told him, huh?“ Shiro only chuckled and patted Keith on the shoulder. 

„Yeah. I did“ Keith said with a slightly sad smile at remembering the circumstances. 

„Let’s get you two to the showers. But you have to explain that later“ Pidge then chuckled and offered Lance her shoulder to lean on while Shiro helped Keith. 

Both couldn’t quite hide their reddened cheeks and their relieved grins. 

They had made it out of there alive after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading - I hope you liked it :D
> 
> As always, I would be **really grateful for any comment** \- they are the only real measurement an author can get about how you really find their work!
> 
> Stay tuned for the next prompt!


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